Carlos Garcia, director of Puente, speaks in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race too Paul Penzone. David Wallace/The Republic

Arpaio protests continue into day after election

Carlos Garcia, director of Puente, speaks in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race too Paul Penzone.
David Wallace/The Republic

Roberto Camacho, a volunteer with the Bazta Arpaio campaign, stands in in front of an inflatable showing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's likeness, in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race to Paul Penzone. David Wallace/The Republic

Arpaio protests continue into day after election

Roberto Camacho, a volunteer with the Bazta Arpaio campaign, stands in in front of an inflatable showing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's likeness, in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race to Paul Penzone.
David Wallace/The Republic

Carlos Garcia, director of Puente, speaks in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race too Paul Penzone. David Wallace/The Republic

Arpaio protests continue into day after election

Carlos Garcia, director of Puente, speaks in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race too Paul Penzone.
David Wallace/The Republic

Christian Zamarron (left) and Maria Castro, both with Bazta Arpaio campaign put up an inflatable showing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's likeness, in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race to Paul Penzone. David Wallace/The Republic

Arpaio protests continue into day after election

Christian Zamarron (left) and Maria Castro, both with Bazta Arpaio campaign put up an inflatable showing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's likeness, in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race to Paul Penzone.
David Wallace/The Republic

Alejandra Gomez, co-director of Lucha, speaks in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race too Paul Penzone. David Wallace/The Republic

Arpaio protests continue into day after election

Alejandra Gomez, co-director of Lucha, speaks in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race too Paul Penzone.
David Wallace/The Republic

Alejandra Gomez, co-director of Lucha, speaks in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race too Paul Penzone. David Wallace/The Republic

Arpaio protests continue into day after election

Alejandra Gomez, co-director of Lucha, speaks in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race too Paul Penzone.
David Wallace/The Republic

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Arpaio protests continue into day after election

Carlos Garcia, director of Puente, speaks in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Arpaio lost the Maricopa County Sheriff's race too Paul Penzone.

Criminal trial could be delayed until Trump administration takes office.

Former Phoenix police Sgt. Paul Penzone soon will assume the title of Maricopa County sheriff, overseeing more than 3,000 employees and running the state’s largest jail system.

He also will inherit some — but not all — of the legal baggage left by his soon-to-be predecessor, Sheriff Joe Arpaio. A high-profile criminal case will stay with Arpaio. But the departing lawman in January will be able to walk away from years-long federal racial-profiling cases aimed at Arpaio’s operations involving illegal immigration.

Three years ago, a federal judge imposed sweeping reforms over the Sheriff's Office after finding deputies had targeted Latinos during patrols. The county has spent tens of millions of dollars to comply with the judge's orders, which called for cameras, anti-bias training and a court monitor, but the office has been sluggish to fully comply.

Another federal case challenging the identity-theft laws used to justify Arpaio’s signature “workplace raids” is ongoing.

Because Arpaio was sued in his official capacity, he no longer will be listed as defendant when he steps down, according to Cecillia Wang, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union who represented plaintiffs in the patrol case.

The end of Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Wang said Wednesday that Maricopa County voters "sent a clear message" to the 84-year-old sheriff.

"Hopefully Sheriff Penzone will conduct himself differently," she said. "Frankly, I believe there are good people in the MCSO who are working very hard to try to bring this agency into compliance with the Constitution and with the laws of our country. And I hope that the new officeholder is going to clear the way for this process to be accelerated."

In an interview Wednesday, Penzone said he would make it a priority to get the office into compliance with the judge's orders.

"My hope is that if we do such a good job that maybe we can sit down and have a conversation with the courts and the ACLU, and prove ... that we’re exceeding those expectations," he said. "(We'll) see if we can shorten the scale from three years maybe down to two or even less, to relieve that financial burden on our taxpayers."

What happens to criminal case vs. Arpaio?

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Roberto Camacho, a volunteer with the Bazta Arpaio campaign, stands in in front of an inflatable depicting Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's likeness, in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Nov. 9, 2016. David Wallace / The Republic

Alejandra Gomez, co-director of Lucha, speaks in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. Arpaio was voted out of office hours earlier. Paul Penzone, a former Phoenix police sergeant, won the sheriff's race and will take office in January. David Wallace / The Republic

Carlos Garcia, director of Puente, speaks in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. The event celebrated the ousting of Joe Arpaio after he lost a re-election race on Tuesday. David Wallace / The Republic

Maria Castro (left) and Christian Zamarron, both with the Bazta Arpaio campaign, put up an inflatable depicting Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's likeness, in front of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in Phoenix on Nov. 9, 2016. David Wallace / The Republic

Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:

Last month, U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors announced they would pursue the charge against Arpaio for violating an order from the patrol racial-profiling case. U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow banned the office from detaining individuals solely based on suspicion that they were in the country illegally, but the practice continued for at least 18 months thereafter.

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton officially signed off on the charge on Oct. 25. The trial is currently set for Dec. 6, and could put the sheriff in jail for up to six months if he’s convicted.

Mel McDonald, Arpaio’s defense attorney in the criminal case, said he doesn’t believe Arpaio’s removal from office will change the government’s stance.

He said it was too early to say whether the ouster would affect Arpaio's plea or trial strategy.

“Our response is the same today as it was yesterday,” he said. “That he’s not guilty of the claims of criminal contempt.”

It remains unclear, however, how a Trump administration could affect the trial. Arpaio’s attorneys have requested a continuance that, if granted, likely would delay a trial until after Donald Trump is sworn in as president in January.

Arpaio has frequently blasted his charge as political retaliation from the Obama administration. Conversely, the sheriff became one of Trump's earliest supporters in the run-up to the presidential election, speaking on Trump's behalf at various rallies.

The alliance was a natural fit. The two Republicans share hard-line views on immigration, and both expressed a keen interest in investigating President Barack Obama's birth certificate.

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Could Trump administration affect case?

Paul Charlton, a former U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona, said it's common for any trial to be delayed. In all likelihood, he said, the trial would be rescheduled to occur during a Trump administration.

Although the new president will choose his own department heads, Charlton said it's unlikely a Trump Department of Justice would drop the criminal charge.

Charlton said it's typically the career prosecutors who make the decisions rather than the political appointees. A more plausible scenario would be Trump administration prosecutors offering a more lenient plea deal, or for Trump to extend his favor after a conviction.

"The more realistic and easier-to-execute option that I think Donald Trump would consider is a pardon," Charlton said. "That is something he can do without the consultation with the DOJ, and he could circumvent the concerns of the career prosecutors."

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Sheriff Joe Arpaio chats with inmates inside Tent City Jail on May 10, 1995. Arpaio stayed inside Tent City for a night to prove it was safe and that an inmate could survive without "luxuries" such as hot lunches, coffee and cigarettes. The Republic

With copies of his book close by, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio chats with fans at the Fountain Hills Festival of Arts and Crafts in 2012. The sheriff was helping raise money for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Youth Assistance Foundation through the sale of pink underwear, T-shirts and other mementos. The Republic

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has always felt comfortable with the media. Here, the lawman who was dubbed "America's Toughest Sheriff" appears with a TV crew as part of a Fox Reality Channel original series. Fox Reality Channel

Many a celebrity has shared a spotlight with Sheriff Joe Arpaio over the years, from martial arts movie star Steven Seagal to former NBA All-Star player Shaquille O'Neal. In April, TV star Pamela Anderson, a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, toured the sheriff's food factory in west Phoenix to tout what was billed as the first all-vegetarian meal in U.S. jails. Nick Oza/The Republic

Inmate Amanda Bertagnolli spends time with a puppy in 2007 at MASH, a Maricopa County organization that rescues abused dogs and puts them up for adoption. Sheriff Joe Arpaio's animal-aid programs have long bolstered his popularity. The Republic

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has drawn his share of hatred during his six terms in office, including death threats, several of which resulted in arrest. In August 2000, Maricopa County sheriff's deputies investigated threats left in Tempe bus stations and on city poles. MCSO

A documentary on Sheriff Joe Arpaio by filmmaker Randy Murray, "The Joe Show," was featured at the 2014 Phoenix Film Festival. The film touched on some of the more controversial events during Arpaio's tenure, including in-custody deaths of jail inmates. Murray said the documentary is not meant to be a damning profile, but about "the failing relationship between democracy and the media and the superpowers of fame." Randy Murray Productions

Many office holders and office seekers have sought Sheriff Joe Arpaio's support -- and Arpaio was almost always ready and willing to share the spotlight. In July, Arpaio waves to a crowd of thousands after speaking during a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Phoenix Convention Center. Cheryl Evans/The Republic